I am taking part in this year's Where's Wally? fun run because I believe that children from the poorest backgrounds shouldnt have their potential cut short before their lives have even really begun. Every penny I raise will help to transform the life stories of disadvantaged children in the UK through literacy. On average, children from the poorest backgrounds start school 19 months behind other children. This meant that last year, 175,000 five-year-olds started school without the literacy skills they need. Children without these skills will be held back at every stage of their lives. They are: - five times more likely to fail to meet the expected standards in English at age 11 - four times more likely to struggle to read as adults - twice as likely to be unemployed aged 34 - three times more likely to have mental health problems as adults Thank you for supporting me and the work of the National Literacy Trust!